If you’ve read my previous reviews, you know that golden stouts are one of my favorite styles of beer. I saw a post on social media from Railport Brewing Company about a golden stout, so that was my inspiration for today’s visit.
As you pull in to the decent size gravel parking lot, you pull up to an older brick building right in old downtown Waxahachie. Walk inside and you’ll come to the bar, but it’s not a very big space, and there’s no seating. There’s some merch and a to-go fridge to the right, and a digital menu behind the bar. It has a very old and wooden, maybe prohibition bar type of feel, which is kind of cool except for the taproom being so small. There’s hardly any room to have a community connection with other patrons in the taproom. As you make your way back, there’s several rooms with seating areas, and even a dart room. But it’s very choppy with every room being separate from one another, and only doorways connecting them. The decor is very random, and there’s TV’s throughout, but there are no big seating areas inside. There’s several single use bathrooms in random places throughout as well. There’s a doorway on the far side of the taproom that leads out to the brewing area and another seating room. You have to walk through the lines of brewing tanks, which is actually pretty cool, and there’s a group of picnic tables and the exit into the beer garden. Outside sits a bunch of tables and a nice little wooden stage, and if they have a food truck, this is where they park. The beer garden is actually a really cool area, but I can’t imagine wanting to be there during the Texas summers. I’m really torn on my opinion of the layout of Railport. The separate rooms and choppiness inside isn’t very appealing, but the brewing area and beer garden are a very cool setup.
We always love trying beers that are made with local ingredients, and that’s the case with Honey Hush. It’s a 6.4% ABV Golden ale made with locally produced honey. This is a great example of a golden ale. It’s light and sweet, and you definitely get the honey. There’s a hint of bitterness on the back end which I did not expect from a honey ale, but it’s still a good brew.
One type of beer that can either be done very well or very poorly is any type of coffee beer. The Railporter falls into the former category. It’s a 5.6% ABV porter brewed with cold brew coffee, vanilla, and cocoa beans. A lot of coffee beers veer too far into the coffee flavor, but this has a nice balance between coffee and beer. The vanilla and cocoa beans give it a little sweetness, but it is not overdone. It’s one of the better coffee beers I’ve ever tried, and definitely worth checking out.
Now to the reason we made the trip here, the Sumbitch, an 8.2% ABV blonde stout made with honeycomb cereal. I love blonde stouts because they taste like a stout, with the chocolate and sweetness, but they drink much lighter. This is exactly that, it’s smooth and rich, but with the lighter mouth feel you’d expect. Add in the slight honey flavor from the honeycomb cereal, and it’s just a fantastic brew. One of the best blonde stouts I’ve ever had.
Railport Brewing Company is a very unique and interesting brewery. Their outdoor space is top notch, and I can imagine having a band out there would be a ton of fun. The indoor space is very choppy, and there isn’t any sense of community and meeting craft beer lovers in the taproom because of the setup. The beer is great, and they make some unique brews that you don’t see everywhere. Because of all this, and not always having food options, we’re giving Railport 7 🍺. Definitely a cool place to check out, and Always Drink Local!
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